Thursday 28 February 2013

Government efficiency


In order to continue to improve efficiency in the public sector, governments should focus on four key areas:

  1. pursuing innovative practices linked to efficiency; 
  2. scaling the use of efficient practices;
  3. improving the use of established measurement and analytical tools to generate actionable insights;
  4. and strengthening management incentives to become more efficient.

This report, although focusing on efficiency in the Government of the United Arab Emirates, provides guidance for all governments around the world.

Government efficiency
United Arab Emirates in collaboration with Deloitte
February 2013

Read more here.

Emergency department visits for nonurgent conditions


"If health plans, policy makers, and providers want to reduce use of the ED for nonurgent problems, they must ensure that their interventions are evidence- based and tailored to address the needs and concerns of the populations they are designed to serve."

Emergency department visits for nonurgent conditions
L Uscher-Pines, J Pines, A Kellermann, E Gillen, A Mehrotra
The American Journal of Managed Care, 2013, 19(1):47-59

Read more here.

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Fertility: assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems


"This clinical guideline updates and replaces NICE clinical guideline 11 ‘Fertility’ (published February 2004). It offers evidence-based advice on the care and treatment of people with fertility problems."

CG156 Fertility: assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
February 2013

Read more here.

Lessons from Europe: provider governance


"This Briefing outlines key insights from a Lessons from Europe seminar that examined the impact of recent reforms in hospital governance in Spain and the Netherlands."

Lessons from Europe: provider governance
NHS European Office
February 2013

Read more here.

NICE Quality Standard: asthma


"This quality standard covers the diagnosis and treatment of asthma in adults, young people and children aged 12 months and older."

QS25 Asthma
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
February 2013

Read more here.

Lining up: how is harm measured?


"Lessons from an ethnographic research study of interventions to reduce central line infections."

Lining up: how is harm measured? Learning report
The Health Foundation
February 2013

Read more here.

Preventing falls in hospitals: a toolkit for improving quality of care


"This toolkit focuses on overcoming the challenges associated with developing, implementing, and sustaining a fall prevention program."

Preventing falls in hospitals: a toolkit for improving quality of care
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
January 2013

Read more here.

Monday 25 February 2013

Economic efficiency of primary care for CVD prevention and treatment in Eastern European countries


"Proper primary care can not only decrease the risk of major CVD but also decrease the healthcare costs and increase the number of patients that can be treated."

Economic efficiency of primary care for CVD prevention and treatment in Eastern European countries
T Slavici, et al
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:75

Read more here.

Caring for people with liver disease: a competence framework for nursing


"Delivery of high quality care that produces better outcomes for patients needs a high quality workforce: skilled and competent practitioners who are fit to deliver care in the future health and social care system."

Caring for people with liver disease: a competence framework for nursing
Royal College of Nursing
February 2013

Read more here.

Too posh to wash? Reflections on the future of nursing


"This publication and its contributors explore some of the possible solutions and take a forward looking approach at nursing and its role in modern medicine, rather than looking back to a ‘Golden Age’ which may not always offer meaningful answers to the challenges which nurses face today."

Too posh to wash? Reflections on the future of nursing
Edited by G Beer
2020health.org
January 2013

Read more here.

Tuesday 19 February 2013

Yorkshire and the Humber Telehealth Hub


"The aim for the Hub was to support care closer to home and deliver services to 2,100 patients, leading to fewer unnecessary admissions to hospital, healthier outcomes and lifestyles, and cost savings."

Yorkshire and the Humber Telehealth Hub: 2020health Evaluation
J Cruickshank, J Paxman
2020 health.org
January 2013

Read more here.

Prevention and control of infection in care homes


"The steps taken in care homes to protect residents and staff from infection represent an important element in the quality of care, particularly as some infections have the capacity to spread within environments where susceptible people share eating and living accommodation."

Prevention and control of infection in care homes - an information resource
Department of Health, Health Protection Agency
February 2013

Read more here.

Monday 18 February 2013

Impact of the Working Time Regulations on medical education and training


"This report presents the findings of primary research that aimed to evaluate the possible effects of the Working Time Regulations on postgraduate medical education and training across the UK."

The impact of the Working Time Regulations on medical education and training: final report on primary research: a report for the General Medical Council
G Morrow, B Burford, M Carter, J Illing
Centre for Medical Education Research
August 2012 (published February 2013)

Read more here.

Access the supporting literature review here.

Commissioning better eye care: glaucoma


"This resource is to help those designing and commissioning eye care improve the value of their services."

Commissioning better eye care: glaucoma
College of Optometrists, Royal College of Ophthalmologists
February 2013

Read more here.

Friday 15 February 2013

How hard can it be to include research evidence and evaluation in local health policy implementation?


"Local commissioners and managers need to build the critical use of research evidence and evaluation into health policy implementation at local level in order to provide consistent and effective healthcare services."

How hard can it be to include research evidence and evaluation in local health policy implementation? Results from a mixed methods study
BA Evans, H Snooks, H Howson, M Davies
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:17

Read more here.

Thursday 14 February 2013

How is the health and social care system performing?


"Concerns about the quality of health and social care are growing; a third of finance directors report that the quality of NHS care in their area has deteriorated over the past 12 months, compared with only about one in six in our last survey."

How is the health and social care system performing? Quarterly monitoring report
The King's Fund
February 2013

Read more here.

Wednesday 13 February 2013

Latest evidence from NHS Evidence QIPP


QIPP Evidence provides users with practical case studies that address the quality and productivity challenge in health and social care. All examples submitted are evaluated by NICE. This evaluation is based on the degree to which the initiative meets the QIPP criteria of savings, quality, evidence and implementability. These are the latest QIPP case studies:


Access more QIPP initiatives here.

VIPER: Voice. Inclusion. Participation. Empowerment. Research.


"VIPER is a research project looking at disabled children and young people’s participation in decision-making."

Policy briefing: Hear us out! 
VIPER: Voice. Inclusion. Participation. Empowerment. Research.
Council for Disabled Children
February 2013

Read more here.

Embedding patient decision aids in clinical practice


"NHS Kidney Care is promoting the use of the Right Care Shared Decision Making Programme Patient Decision Aids by supporting 24 kidney units across England to embed them into routine care so that all people approaching end stage renal failure receive consistent, comprehensive, high quality information, and engage in and share decisions about their care in the way best suited to them."

Embedding patient decision aids in clinical practice: a survey from NHS Kidney Care
NHS Kidney Care
January 2013

Read more here.

Making it better? Assuring high-quality care in the NHS


"Evidence from high-quality healthcare organisations across the world demonstrates the importance of organisational culture in ensuring the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care."

Making it better? Assuring high-quality care in the NHS
NHS Confederation
February 2013

Read more here.

Engaging health care users


"The American Hospital Association (AHA) in its framework for health reform, Health for Life, embraces the need to engage patients and families and contemplates the role of hospitals and health care systems in improving the total health of the population and community they are serving."

Engaging health care users: a framework for health individuals and communities
American Hospital Association
January 2013

Read more here.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Deaths from cardiovascular diseases: implications for end of life care in England


"This report provides useful and descriptive overview of the current trends in mortality from cardiovascular diseases including circulatory diseases, congenital heart disease and vascular dementia."

Deaths from cardiovascular diseases: implications for end of life care in England
National End of Life Care Programme
February 2013

Read more here.

Monday 11 February 2013

Francis Report: implications for CCGs and general practice


"Commissioners have a critical role in driving quality."

Francis Report: implications for CCGs and general practice
Primary Care Commissioning
February 2013

Read more here.

Friday 8 February 2013

Raising and acting on concerns about patient safety


The GMC has published guidance on raising and acting on concerns about patient safety. The guidance sets out their "expectation that all doctors will, whatever their role, take appropriate action to raise and act on concerns about patient care, dignity and safety."

Access the guidance here.

Influencing local commissioning for health and care


"This paper examines how voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) can work with and influence joint local commissioning in the new system."

Influencing local commissioning for health and care: guidance for the voluntary and community sector
Regional Voices
January 2013

Read more here.

Spending on health and social care over the next 50 years


"In this paper, John Appleby analyses the factors that influence the demand for health and social care, taking a long-term perspective."

Spending on health and social care over the next 50 years: why think long term?
J Appleby
The King's Fund
January 2013

Read more here.

Unprotected nation


"The financial implications of unintended pregnancy and STIs go far beyond short-term medical costs: they have a major impact on the medium- to long-term financial health of our country, and the physical health of its people."

Unprotected nation: the financial and economic impacts of restricted contraceptive and sexual health services
S Lucas
Development Economics
January 2013

Read more here.

Thursday 7 February 2013

The Francis Report


"The final report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry was published on Wednesday 6 February 2013....There are 290 recommendations in the report."

The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry
Chaired by Robert Francis QC
The Stationery Office
February 2013

Access all the relevant documents here.

Managing NHS hospital consultants


"This report examines the extent to which the expected benefits of the 2003 consultants’ contract have been realised and whether consultants are managed effectively and consistently across NHS trusts."

Managing NHS hospital consultants
National Audit Office, Department of Health
February 2013

Read more here.

The barriers to choice review


"In all the public services the review looked at, it was clear that people without access to computers or cars are at a double disadvantage when it comes to exercising choice, and also that making choice more widely available in practice means providing, not just access to information, but access to personal face-to-face interpretation."

The barriers to choice review: how are people using choice in public services?
D Boyle
NHS Alliance
January 2013

Read more here.

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Everyone counts: planning for patients 2013/14


"All clinical commissioning groups should use the best available expertise to support them, whether through Commissioning Support Units or secured through other means."

Everyone counts: planning for patients 2013/14
NHS Commissioning Board
December 2012

Read more here.

Patient safety and quality improvement education


"Teaching of patient safety and quality improvement to medical students will be best received if it is integrated into clinical education rather than solely taught in pre-clinical lectures or through independent computer modules."

Patient safety and quality improvement education: a cross-sectional study of medical students' preferences and attitudes
CL Teigland, RC Blasiak, LA Wilson, RE Hines, KL Meyerhoff, AJ Viera
BMC Medical Education, 2013, 13:16

Read more here.

Primary care drug and alcohol treatment: commissioning and provision against a backdrop of localism


"This joint paper considers the future impact of the changing commissioning environment on primary care drug and alcohol treatment."

Primary care drug and alcohol treatment: commissioning and provision against a backdrop of localism
L Harris, K Halliday
Royal College of General Practitioners
January 2013

Read more here.

Quality of life of cancer survivors in England


"The study findings indicate that the Cancer PROMs Survey has successfully used a free text comments section to gather insights from survey responders that can help improve quality of patient experience."

Quality of life of cancer survivors in England: analysis of patients' free text comments: final report
University of Southampton, Department of Health
January 2013

Read more here.

Deaths from cardiovascular diseases: implications for end of life care in England


"This report describes patterns in mortality from cardiovascular diseases in England, highlighting variation in place and cause of death by age, sex, socioeconomic deprivation and disease group."

Deaths from cardiovascular diseases: implications for end of life care in England
National End of Life Care Programme
February 2013

Read more here.

When a patient seeks advice or information about assistance to die


This short explanatory guidance, from the GMC, provides advice on how the principles in Good Medical Practice  and Treatment and care towards the end of life: good practice in decision making  apply when patients who are reaching the end of their life, or who have severe disabilities, seek help or advice about ending their lives.

Read more here.

Monday 4 February 2013

The Way Forward: Clinical Senates

The NHS Commissioning Board has divided England into 12 areas, broadly based around major patient flows into specialist or tertiary centres, and there will be one Clinical Senate for each geographical area. This document outlines the different roles of Clinical Senates, explains how they will perform these and also how they will interact with other organisations in the new health system, including Clinical Commissioning Groups, Health and Wellbeing Boards, and Academic Health Science Networks.

Read more here.

Saturday 2 February 2013

E-mental health: what's all the fuss about?


"E-mental health is the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to support and improve mental health, including the use of online resources, social media and smartphone applications."

E-mental health: what's all the fuss about?
Mental Health Network NHS Confederation
January 2013

Read more here.